Dancer’s ‘Dream’ Showcase : Soviet Star Takes a Competition Break in Long Beach

Vladimir Malakhov, 23, can boast a dazzling array of medals from the world’s most prestigious ballet competitions:

* Grand Prize, junior level, International Ballet Competition, Varna, Bulgaria, 1986.

* Gold Medal, International Ballet Competition, Moscow, 1989; Grand Prix, Lausanne, 1987

* Bronze Medal, International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Miss., 1990.

But Malakhov, a Ukrainian-born principal dancer of the Moscow Classical Ballet, currently in Long Beach rehearsing for the guest-starring role of Oberon in Long Beach Ballet’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,� says he’s spent enough time going for the gold. Though his English is far from perfect, Malakhov makes his message perfectly clear.

He holds out one hand, palm down. The hand begins to shake. “It’s very nerve, it’s nerve , competition!� says Malakhov, who lost 10 pounds during his ordeal at Jackson. “It’s finished. It’s finished--me, it’s finished, competition . . . many competitions, is no good.�

In a conversation following a ballet class taught by Long Beach Ballet’s artistic director, David Wilcox, at the company’s studio, Malakhov, sprawling loose-limbed on a three-legged stool, wearing a shiny bright-blue leotard and a pair of slippers shaped like cartoon bears, doesn’t look nerve about anything--including the possibility that his awards and recent critical acclaim hold enormous promise at home and abroad.

Asked if he considers himself to be ballet’s next superstar, Malakhov’s eyes widen under his mop of wavy hair. “I don’t know,� he says, grinning. “Maybe.�

Christopher Tabor, who choreographed “A Midsummer Night’s Dream� for the Long Beach Ballet in 1986, said he has added about 10 minutes of new choreography and music to the ballet to showcase Malakhov--as well as another 20 minutes for guest artist Thomas Vollmer as Puck and new company members Alla Khaniashvili-Artyushkina and her husband Vitaly Artyushkin, formerly of the Bolshoi Ballet. The new production also features a live orchestra, mostly new sets and costumes, and a production budget of $250,000.

Wilcox, 40, who danced the Oberon role in 1986, just rolls his eyes when asked how Malakhov compares. “He (Tabor) coerced me into doing it--I hadn’t danced in 10 years,� Wilcox exclaims. “I told him to make it easy on me. Now, it’s not even recognizable.�

Wilcox says he discovered Malakhov while attending the 1990 competition in Jackson. “People had been saying: ‘Be sure to see Vladimir Malakhov, he’s the up-and-coming young superstar,� Wilcox said. “And I said: ‘Yeah, well, we’ll see.’

“And then I sat up there in the balcony like everybody else with my mouth hanging open, just not able to believe his elevation and his fluidity and the perfection of his line. He is pure classical ballet. Absolute purity . . . I really believe he is a one-of-a-kind dancer for his generation; we’ve never seen anything like him.�

For the moment, Malakhov’s visit to Southern California seems like any exchange student’s summer abroad . He has taken trips to Universal Studios and Disneyland with his host family, the Eggers of Laguna Beach. Janet Eggers, former president of the Center Dance Alliance, a dance support group affiliated with the Orange County Performing Arts Center, first met Malakhov when the Moscow Classical Ballet performed there in 1988. “My American mother,� Malakhov calls her, fondly.

In his off hours, Malakhov coaches Allison Eggers, 13, an aspiring dancer. Malakhov recently made a guest appearance at Allison’s ballet school recital in Mission Viejo, where, along with performing his signature solo piece, “Narcissus,� he danced a pas de deux with Allison.

And “he’s very helpful as a house guest,� Janet Eggers says.

“We’ll be very sad when he leaves. Some house guests wait to be waited on, but he jumps right in and starts emptying the dishwasher. . . . He eats chocolate truffles for breakfast. That’s not the whole breakfast, but he always ends it with chocolate truffles and Nutella--you know, that chocolate hazelnut butter? He sits and eats it by the spoonful.�

Malakhov, who travels with a pet cockatoo and recently acquired a new kitten, offers that his hobby is cooking. “Food and kitchen,� he says. “And . . . sleep.�

Malakhov, whose father heads a metallurgy company in the Ukraine, began dancing when his architect mother, a former gymnast, suggested he try a similarly athletic pursuit. His 16-year-old brother, who plays football, has no interest in ballet, Malakhov says. Malakhov was one of five chosen out of 300 hopefuls to enter the prestigious Bolshoi Ballet Academy. Upon graduation, he joined the Moscow Classical Ballet.

Malakhov, who goes on to dance in Tokyo and Monte Carlo before returning to Moscow, said he would consider dancing permanently with an American company and likes the range of choreographic styles here.

“Russian people are very classical,� he says. “I like everything. Many, many choreographers.�

And “Moscow now is not good--it’s a big problem of politics, food and shelter,� Malakhov adds, sadly. “Prices are very big--for old people, now there is no money, is terrible. Now is no good to dance in Moscow.�

* The Long Beach Ballet performs “A Midsummer Night’s Dream� Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. in the Terrace Theater. Information: (213) 436-3661, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.